Treatment surface for battery forming installation

ABSTRACT

A mobile treatment surface ( 1 ) for battery formation comprising: a bearing surface ( 11 ) for the batteries; a delivery conduit ( 3 ) for the acid to the batteries to be formed; a collecting conduit ( 4 ) for the acid outgoing from said batteries to be formed; acid circulation means ( 9 ) and means for delivering direct current ( 50 ) to the forming batteries. The delivery conduit ( 3 ) comprises a first acid adduction pipe ( 31 ) coaxially disposed inside a second acid pipe ( 32 ) and provided with a plurality of radial holes ( 311 ) for taking the acid into the second pipe. The second pipe is provided with a plurality of acid outlet holes ( 321 ), each of them being connected to a device ( 324 ) for taking the acid into the battery to be formed.

The present invention is about a mobile treatment surface for a verticaldeveloped battery forming installation of the kind described in Patentof Invention no. IT1307517.

According to the aforementioned invention, the accumulator forminginstallation comprises a plurality of pallets or support elements, ineach of which the accumulators to be submitted to the formationtreatment are placed.

Each of said pallets comprises current feeding means and electrolytecirculation means for each battery during the formation process.

The formation process takes place in the period in which the pallets arestored in corresponding vertically distributed supports belonging to theforming installation.

Italian Patent application no. VI2003A000099, of the same applicant,describes a method for forming acid lead batteries related to aninstallation comprising a plurality of pallets disposed spaced andoverlapping on a structure with essentially vertical development, wherea plurality of batteries is placed.

The method is essentially characterized in that the battery formationtakes place with strictly constant parameters of density and temperatureof the acid inside the battery during treatment.

This happens both in a stage of first circulation of a lower densityacid and in a subsequent stage related to a second circulation of moreconcentrated acid.

The specific features of the battery formation method of Patentapplication no. VI2003A000099 tend to warrant a complete treatmenthomogeneity for each battery, so that the quality of the formedbatteries is substantially the same, in order to grant a uniformlifetime of the batteries and to avoid any waste due to a bad formationof the plates present in the batteries.

It has been noted in particular that it is necessary to warrant an equaland constant flow rate of the electrolyte circulating in each cell ofeach battery, so that the same quantity of acid at the same temperatureand density affects the forming plates in each battery.

Only in this way a perfect identity of the batteries can be granted oncethe treatment is finished.

An important object to be achieved in the operative stage is that themobile support elements of the batteries under treatment, said batteriesbeing placed at first in a load position and then stored in the forminginstallation during the treatment period, as well as all the conduitsbelonging to each of said mobile support elements, grant certain optimalperformances. We make reference in particular to the fact that the aciddelivery conduits have to grant, for their specific construction, aconstant flow rate to each battery cell.

It is furthermore required that, because of the support mobility, theacid collecting conduits do not cause electrolyte losses during themovement of the treatment surface from a load or an unload position to astorage position.

Another object to be achieved is that the handling of the supportelements in the forming installation is made easier and that thehandling means of said elements are as simple as possible, so that theynot increase the constructional complexity of the forming installation.

The above mentioned objects, and other which will be better highlightedin the following description, are attained by a mobile treatment surfacefor batteries in a battery forming installation where said treatmentsurface, according to the content of the main claim, comprises:

-   -   a mainly longitudinally developed bearing surface, able to        receive a plurality of batteries aligned according to said        longitudinal direction;    -   an acid delivery conduit, belonging to said bearing surface, for        the delivery to said batteries to be formed;    -   acid circulation means for each battery;    -   a collecting conduit for the acid outgoing from said batteries        to be formed;    -   means for delivering direct current,        and it is characterized in that said delivery conduit, disposed        in a substantially horizontal position, has a first internally        disposed acid adduction pipe, substantially coaxial with a        second acid pipe, said first pipe being provided with a        plurality of radial holes for taking said acid into said second        pipe, and said second pipe being provided with a plurality of        outlet holes for said acid from said delivery conduit, each of        said outlet holes being connected to a device for taking the        acid into the battery to be formed.

Advantageously, according to the invention, special attention has beenpaid to manufacturing the first acid delivery conduit, which sends theacid to each battery to be formed on the same treatment surface. Infact, it has been granted that always the same acid flow rate isdelivered to each battery, and in particular to each cell of thebatteries to be formed.

Another characteristic of the invention is the fact that the collectingconduit for the acid outgoing from the batteries is provided with acheck valve, which is normally closed during the movement of thetreatment surface in order to avoid any loss of acid during themovement.

A further characteristic is the fact that the collecting conduit for theacid outgoing from the batteries of each treatment surface is vacuumoperated by a pump which provides for ensuring the acid circulation inthe whole plant.

Further characteristics and features of the invention will be betterhighlighted in the description of a preferred embodiment of theinvention, given in an explanatory but not limiting way, with referenceto the figures of the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a basic scheme of the battery forming installation and inparticular of the movement of each mobile treatment surface included insaid plant;

FIG. 2 shows the mobile treatment surface of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows the delivery conduit belonging to the mobile treatmentsurface of the invention;

FIG. 3 a is a sectional view of the conduit of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 shows the mobile treatment surface of the invention, with thebatteries housed therein for performing the formation treatment; and

FIG. 5 shows a detail of the acid collecting conduit and a connectionthereof to the outlet conduit.

With reference to the above mentioned Figures, one can see that in theforming installation scheme of FIG. 1, generally indicated with numeral10, the mobile treatment surface 1 is in its load position, indicatedwith numeral 101, where an operator provides for connecting thebatteries 2 to the acid delivery and collecting conduits, as well as thecurrent distribution means. Once performed said connections, thetreatment surface 1 reaches the placing position, indicated with numeral102, starting from a load position 101, making at first a verticalrising according to the arrow A, then a horizontal movement according tothe arrow B, then a further rising according to the arrow C, a newtranslation on a horizontal plane according to the arrow D, and at lasta lowering according to the arrow E, until the position 102 is reached.

The described operation is an exemplification of one of the possiblemovements of each mobile treatment surface, which thus passes from abattery load and arrangement position up to a placing position in aforming installation area for all the time required for performing saidformation.

The vertically and horizontally directed translation of each mobiletreatment plant takes place using known means, like for example pallettransfer elements belonging to the plant or substantially equivalentmoving means known in the state of the art.

With reference to FIG. 2, one can see that the mobile treatment surface1 has a bearing surface 11 on which the batteries 2 will be disposed andsubsequently placed, by means of said mobile treatment surface, in theirassigned position on the forming installation.

Said mobile treatment surface has two side walls 12, each of them beingprovided with a overhanging portion 121 which is adapted to lean onshelves, indicated with numeral 6, belonging to the fixed structure ofthe forming installation.

The mobile treatment surface is completed by an essentially verticalbottom wall 13.

A flexible delivery pipe 33 for the acid, connected to a deliveryconduit 3 fixed on the mobile treatment surface 1, reaches each mobiletreatment surface 1.

A further collecting conduit for the acid coming from the batteriesunder treatment is indicated with numeral 4 in FIG. 2.

With reference to the delivery conduit, indicated with numeral 3 andbetter visible in FIG. 3, one can see that said conduit consists of afirst substantially horizontal disposed pipe 31, having a series ofholes 311, all of the same diameter and able to eject the pressurizedacid in the chamber formed in the space comprised between said firstpipe 31 and a second pipe 32, coaxial with the first one and havinggreater diameter, as shown in FIG. 3.

The second pipe 32 too has outlet holes 321, which are of preferablygreater diameter than the holes 311 belonging to the first pipe 31.

Since the pipe 32 has two bottom walls 322 and 323, a collecting chamberfor the acid, indicated with numeral 8, is obtained, in which the acidforms a head with respect to the holes 321, and from which the acidexits by gravity and thus with the same pressure at each hole 321.

Through the pipes 324 the acid reaches the battery cells or thebatteries to be supplied with the circulating acid.

One can see that the assembly shown in FIG. 3, with the presence of twoconcentric pipes 31 and 32, together with the formation of a head insidethe chamber 8 comprised between the pipe 32 and the internal pipe 31,allows to grant a constant flow rate for each intake hole of the acid tothe battery. And this happens for the entire cycle of battery formation.Therefore, by means of the delivery conduit shown in FIG. 3, one of theessential conditions for obtaining a constant quality in the batteryformation process, that is to grant a constant flow rate of thecirculating acid, is achieved.

In order to optimize the head formation inside the chamber 8 obtainedbetween the coaxial pipes 32 and 31, one can see that the holes 311belonging to the pipe 31 are disposed radially aligned on the samevertical plane, and with upwardly directed acid outlet, as shown in FIG.3 a, which is a sectional view of FIG. 3, while the outlet holes 321belonging to the outer pipe 32 are mutually aligned too and disposed ona vertical plane, but they are all oriented downwardly, in order to makeeasier the electrolyte outflow by gravity.

However, this arrangement of the holes 311 and 321 is not essential,being sufficient that the axes of said holes are not coincident.

Furthermore, with reference to FIG. 4, one can see that the deliveryconduit 3 is connected, through delivery pipes 324, to circulation means9 connected to the upper cap of each battery 2 to be formed.

Circulation means 9 substantially provide for transferring the acid fromthe delivery conduit 3 to the battery 2.

The acid and the gases dissolved therein outflow from the battery 2through the tubes 410 connected to the second collecting conduit 4 bymeans of tubular connections 41, visible in FIG. 2.

The collecting conduit 4, which receives the acid, and the possible gasdissolved therein, circulated inside the batteries 2, is blind on oneside and it is provided with an end portion 45 on the opposite side,consisting of a piece of pipe facing downwardly which forms theconnection element to the outlet conduit 5 receiving the acid mixed withgas and sending it to the tank of the forming installation.

The outlet conduit 5 does not belong to the mobile treatment surface 1,but it is fixed and a part of the forming installation. The attachmentportion of said outlet conduit is funnel-shaped, in order to make easierthe connection between the collecting conduit and the outlet conduit.

It is important to point out that the end portion of the collectingconduit 4 comprises a check valve 46, which is preferably of springtype, normally closed when the connection element 45 of the collectingconduit is not inserted in the outlet conduit 5.

Obviously, the valve is opened when the end portion 45 of the collectingconduit 4 is inserted in the outlet conduit 5. This is the condition ofthe valve in the period in which the battery formation takes place,allowing the continuous circulation of the acid mixed with gas to andfrom the tank.

The presence of the valve 46 is essential and has a primary importancebecause, during the movement of the treatment surface, any acid loss inthe forming installation is avoided.

Furthermore, a substantially easy movement is granted, also due to thefact that the sole means which are always connected to the treatmentsurface are the direct current feeding cables 50 and the flexibleadduction cable 33 of the electrolyte to the delivery conduit 3.

On the basis of the aforesaid description, it should be understood thatthe mobile treatment surface 1 for batteries of the invention achievesall the intended objects.

In particular, it is achieved the object to provide for a mobiletreatment surface for batteries in which the acid delivery conduitsgrant a constant flow rate to each battery cell.

It is achieved the object to provide for a mobile treatment surface forbatteries in which the collecting conduits of the acid and the gasesdissolved therein do not cause electrolyte losses, which could requestthe battery cleaning once the treatment is finished.

At last, it is achieved the object that the handling of the mobiletreatment surfaces in the forming installation is made easier and thatthe handling means of said surfaces are as simpler as possible, so thatthey not increase the constructional complexity of the forminginstallation.

All the described and any other not cited embodiments, if they fallwithin the scope of protection of the following claims, should beintended as protected by the present patent.

1) A mobile treatment surface for placing, handling and storingbatteries in a plant for forming said batteries, said treatment surfacecomprising: a mainly longitudinally developed bearing surface, able toreceive a plurality of batteries aligned according to said longitudinaldirection; an acid delivery conduit, belonging to said bearing surface,for the delivery to said batteries to be formed; acid circulation meansfor each battery; a collecting conduit for the acid belonging to saidbearing surface and outgoing from said batteries to be formed; means fordelivering direct current, wherein said delivery conduit, disposed in asubstantially horizontal position, has a first internally disposed acidadduction pipe, substantially coaxial with a second acid pipe, saidfirst pipe being provided with a plurality of radial holes for takingsaid acid into said second pipe, and said second pipe being providedwith a plurality of outlet holes for said acid from said deliveryconduit, each of said outlet holes being connected to a device fortaking the acid into the battery to be formed. 2) The mobile treatmentsurface according to claim 1, wherein said radial holes have lesserdiameter than said outlet holes. 3) The mobile treatment surfaceaccording to claim 1, wherein said radial holes belonging to said firstpipe and said outlet holes belonging to said second pipe have notcoincident axes. 4) The mobile treatment surface according to claim 1,wherein an acid head is present in said second pipe, in order to grantthe same flow rate of said acid in each outlet hole. 5) The mobiletreatment surface according to claim 1, wherein said collecting conduitis disposed in a substantially horizontal position and comprises aplurality of tubular connections, an acid outlet pipe from each batteryto said collecting conduit being connected to each of them, saidcollecting conduit having a blind bottom plate on one side and aconnection element to an outlet conduit of the acid, fixed to thestructure of said forming installation, on the other side. 6) The mobiletreatment surface according to claim 5, wherein said connection elementto said outlet conduit comprises an acid check valve, closed during thehandling of said support element from the load/unload position to thestop forming position, or vice-versa. 7) The mobile treatment surfaceaccording to claim 5, wherein said collecting conduit is vacuum operatedby said outlet conduit by means of said connection element. 8) Themobile treatment surface according to claim 1, wherein said bearingsurface is delimited by two walls, disposed at the side ends, and by anessentially vertical bottom wall connecting said side walls, said sidewalls being provided with bearing surfaces on shelves belonging to thestructure of said plant. 9) The mobile treatment surface according toclaim 8, wherein each of the walls of said bearing surface is providedwith a overhanging portion which is adapted to lean on a correspondingshelf belonging to said forming installation.